Jared McCann returns to Panthers lineup as team 'can’t wait around for guys'

Panthers coach Bob Boughner talks about Jared McCann returning to the lineup and his message to the rest of the team coming out of Florida's bye week.

When Panthers forward Jared McCann watches video after games, he wishes he didn’t have to. McCann typically will watch tape immediately after his poor performances to identify the holes in his game and attempt to rectify them.

After a good game, he’ll stay away from the video, opting to bask in the performance rather than find himself nitpicking errors.

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Recently, McCann has been watching video.

McCann was a healthy scratch in the past two games before the Panthers’ league-mandated bye week, the first time this season he occupied the press box. But he will draw back into the lineup Friday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, with Denis Malgin being scratched.

“Obviously, it sucks being scratched,” McCann said. “You want to help the team win and things like that. I feel like I didn’t play well enough to be in the lineup. I know what they expect of me, and I have high expectations of myself, too. I can’t make mistakes. Being a young guy, the onus on yourself is a little bit higher.”

McCann, 21, has just 10 points this season and only one goal in his last 18 games. At times, he’s been streaky. He scored in back-to-back games early against Tampa Bay and St. Louis and again versus Chicago and New Jersey.

Other times, he’s been less visible. His presence on the second power-play unit waned. His possession numbers dipped below 50 percent.

Panthers coach Bob Boughner said he wanted to see more consistency and urgency from McCann. He reiterated the message to Malgin on Friday and the entire team on Thursday.

“We’re at a point in the season where we can’t afford to have any passengers,” Boughner said. “We can’t wait around for guys. We got to make sure we have 20 guys playing hard every night. It’s my job as a head coach to keep guys accountable. Moving forward, that’s how it’s going to be. We’re not a team that we can have four or five guys that don’t play well and still win. We’re a team that needs 20 guys playing well. That’s the message.”

Of the 19 forwards who have played for the Panthers this season, only seven have not been a healthy scratch: Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, Nick Bjugstad, Evgenii Dadonov, Colton Sceviour and Derek MacKenzie.

Veteran offseason acquisitions Radim Vrbata and Jamie McGinn have each been healthy scratches as they posted identical five-goal, eight-assist numbers.

McCann said he knows what needs to change, pointing to the offensive side of the former first-round pick’s game.

“Offensively, I feel like I have to be better controlling the puck,” McCann said. “I don’t have to get rid of it as quickly. I don’t have to shoot everything. I feel like it’s mostly my offensive game that I need to build on. I feel like I’ve grown a lot defensively this year from last year being in the AHL. I feel like offensively, now I need to step up and get some secondary scoring for the team.”

Florida’s scoring this season has been top heavy. Barkov, Huberdeau, Trocheck and Dadonov have combined for 56 goals. The rest of the team has 64.

Should McCann be able to extend his flashes of potential, he’d be a vital part of keeping the Panthers afloat in the Eastern Conference.

“The way I handled it, you just got to stay confident,” McCann said. “You can’t get down on yourself. You can’t mope around or anything like that. You got to work hard still, day in and day out. This league, there’s always injuries, there’s always things changing. You’re always going to get another shot. This is a big shot for me and I want to make the most of it.”